Tool and method for repairing an arc welding torch

ABSTRACT

A tool for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube comprises an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end. The tool includes a profiled end surface that mates into the interior surface of the conductor tube. The tool includes a central protrusion that extends from the profiled end surface for aligning the tool within the internal passageway of the conductor tube. An imparted force is exerted on the proximal end and the force reshapes the interior surface of the conductor tube around the profiled end surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. Nos. 61/903,950 filed on Nov. 13, 2013 and 62/053,784 filed on Sep. 22, 2014. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to welding apparatuses, and more particularly to arc welding apparatuses such as Metal Inert Gas (MIG) or Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) welding guns, including consumables for generating a welding arc and diffusing a shield gas.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

In an arc welding apparatus, such as Metal Inert Gas (MIG) or Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) welding gun, a welding wire is fed through the welding gun to provide a molten metal pool to join metal workpieces together. An inert gas is directed through the front (distal) end of the welding gun to provide a surrounding layer or blanket of shield gas to protect the molten metal pool from atmospheric contamination. The inert gas is typically a combination of various gases such as argon or helium, among others.

A prior art MIG or GMAW welding gun typically includes a contact tip and a gas diffuser connected to the contact tip. The contact tip has a central bore to guide the welding wire to the workpieces. The contact tip transfers electrical current to the welding wire. The gas diffuser is typically threaded to the contact tip and defines gas passageways that direct the shield gas into a blanket of shield gas around the molten metal pool. The contact tip and gas diffuser are constantly subjected to high heat and are susceptible to wear due to high temperature operation.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally provides a contact tip/diffuser configuration for an arc welding apparatus, such as an MIG or GMAW welding gun with an increased consumable life. The various forms of the present disclosure provide a simplified structure, more uniform heat distribution and improved cooling to increase consumable life, among other benefits.

In one form, a tool repairs an interior surface of a conductor tube for an arc welding apparatus. The tool comprises an elongated body. The elongated body has a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. A profiled end surface extends around the distal end portion of the elongated body. A central protrusion extends distally from the profiled end surface. The profiled end surface of the tool mates within the interior surface of the conductor tube.

In another form, a tool for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube of an arc welding apparatus. The tool comprises a body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. A threaded collar is secured around the proximal end portion of the body. The threaded collar is adapted to engage external threads of the conductor tube. A profiled surface extends around the distal end portion of the body. A central protrusion extends distally from the profiled end surface. The profiled end surface of the tool mates into an interior surface of a distal end portion of the conductor tube.

In yet another form, a method comprises the step for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube. The conductor tube defines a tapered spherical seat and an internal passageway. The method provides a tool having an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The distal end defines a profiled end surface around the distal end portion for mating into the tapered spherical seat. A central protrusion extends distally from the profiled surface. The method includes aligning the central protrusion to extend into the internal passageway. The tool is positioned with the profiled end surface mating within the tapered spherical seat of the conductor tube and the central protrusion aligns in the internal passageway. A force is imparted on the proximal end portion of the tool. The force reshapes the tapered spherical seat of the conductor tube to conform around the profiled end surface to repair the tapered spherical seat.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art arc welding apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a consumable assembly and a conductor tube assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a side view of a conductor tube with a conduit liner and a nozzle assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a side view of a conductor tube with a conduit liner and another form of a nozzle assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C is a side view of a conductor tube illustrating the alignment and a trim distance with an index marking in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the conductor tube constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is partial side view of a conductor tube assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one form of a tool constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a partial side cross-sectional exploded view of the tool of FIG. 6 aligning with a conductor tube assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a partial side cross-sectional exploded view of another form of a tool aligning with a conductor tube assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a method of using the tool in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure or its application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the description and drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. And although the term “MIG” or “GMAW” is used throughout the specification, it should be understood that the teachings of the present disclosure apply to any type of welding or cutting apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, an arc welding apparatus, such as a MIG or GMAW welding gun, is illustrated and generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The MIG welding gun 10 includes a handle 12, a conductor tube 14 attached to the handle 12, and a consumable assembly 16 attached to the conductor tube 14. The handle 12 is connected to a welding cable 18 that carries welding current, shielding gas, and a welding wire 20 from a power source (not shown), a gas source (not shown), and a wire feeder (not shown) to the welding gun 10.

The consumable assembly 16 includes a plurality of consumable components including a nozzle assembly 22 and a contact tip 24 that fits inside the nozzle assembly 22. The structure and operation of an exemplary arc welding apparatus has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,321 and 5,338,917, which are commonly owned by the assignee of the present application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition, the structure and operation of the arc welding apparatus 10 incorporating a contact tip that provides for the function as a contact tip and a diffuser has been disclosed in related U.S. Published Application No. 2013/0126506, titled “Gas Diffuser for GMAW Manual/Robotic Arc Welding MIG Guns,” which is commonly owned by the assignee of the present application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Referring to FIG. 2, the consumable assembly 16 includes a contact tip 24 and the nozzle assembly 22. The nozzle assembly 22 is secured to the conductor assembly 40. As shown, the nozzle assembly 22 is secured to a distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14. The nozzle assembly 22 is substantially cylindrical in one form and receives the distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14 therein. In one form, a contact tip 24 is coaxially disposed inside the nozzle assembly 22. The nozzle assembly 22 further includes a seating surface 28 that is configured to mate with an end portion 30 of the contact tip 24 (which in one form is spherical as shown, but could be any shape including a linear or polynomial taper) into the distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14.

In one form the nozzle assembly 22 is secured onto the distal end 26 of the conductor tube assembly 40, and the contact tip 24 engages and presses against the seating surface 28 of a nozzle insert 44. As the nozzle assembly 22 is tightened onto the conductor tube assembly 40, the seating surface 28 engages against the shoulder 46 of the contact tip 24, thereby urging the spherical tapered end 48 of the contact tip 24 into the spherical tapered seat 50 of the conductor tube 14. The nozzle insert 44 tightens onto the conductor tube assembly 40 and the spherical tapered end 48 of the contact tip 24 is secured into engagement with the tapered seat 50.

Also seen in FIG. 2, the conductor tube 14 defines an internal passageway 52, and a conduit liner 54 is disposed within the internal passageway 52 as shown. The conduit liner 54 has a guiding channel 56 for guiding the welding wire 20 (not shown) to the contact tip 24. The conduit liner 54 preferably extends into an internal cavity 58 of the contact tip 24. The positioning of the conduit liner 54 within the internal cavity 58 provides a continuous guiding channel 56 for directly feeding the welding wire into the contact tip 24. Proper positioning of the conduit liner 54 within the contact tip 24, or “stick-out” relative to the distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14, is a factor for the correct operation of the welding torch 10. The conduit liner 54 directs the welding wire 20 through the welding cable 18, torch 10, conductor tube 14, and into the contact tip 24.

Additional aspects of the location and features of the conduit liner 54 within the internal cavity 58 of the contact tip 24 has been disclosed in U.S. Published Application No. 2013/0126504 A1, which is commonly owned by the assignee of the present application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3C, the conductor tube 14 can define a variety of geometries, and a curved geometry bending of various degrees is used depending on the application requirements. The conductor tube 14 alternatively could be straight or flexible and configurable as has been disclosed in U.S. Published Application No. 2007/0284354, which is commonly owned by the assignee of the present application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The conductor tube assembly 40 extends a length between its distal end 41 and its proximal end 51. The proximal end 51 is adapted to be secured to the handle 12 of the welding gun 10, and the distal end 41 of the conductor tube 14 is adapted to receive the consumable assembly 16 (as shown in FIG. 1).

The distal end 41 of the conductor tube 14 provides unique features to allow for an efficient and robust connection with the consumable assembly 16, the nozzle assembly 22, and the contact tip 24. For example, and is best seen in FIG. 3, in one form the distal end 41 has an outer surface 49 that includes two opposing flat faces 59, that allows for an anti-rotational engagement with a sleeve (not shown), the flat faces segment the otherwise curved outer surface 22. Additionally, in another form, the distal end 41 has a threaded opening 62 through at least one of the flat faces 59 for securing the sleeve.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the conductor tube 14 is typically made from a copper alloy or other metal that has conductive properties and then is coated with an insulation material 64, which in one form may be silicone, and finally covered with a tube jacket 66 to provide durability and additional insulation from the electric current, which flows through the conductor tube 14 during operation of the welding gun 10. The tube jacket 66 by way of example may be made from a brass or stainless steel metal or alloy in one form of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the conductor tube assembly 40 includes the sleeve 60 that slides over the profile of the outer surface 49 of the conductor tube 14, as previously set forth. The sleeve 60 is secured to the conductor tube 14 in one form by the set screw 64 that is engaged through a threaded aperture 61 of the sleeve 60. The threaded aperture 61 is aligned with the threaded opening 62 of the conductor tube 14, and the set screw 64 removably secures the sleeve 60 in position over the distal end 48 of the conductor tube 42. The sleeve defines an exterior threads 65 for securing the consumable assembly 16.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an additional aspect of the present disclosure includes an indent tool 70 that can be used to repair deformation and wear damage to the spherical tapered seat 50 within the conductor tube 14. The indent tool 70, in one form, comprises an elongated body 72 having a proximal end portion 74 and a distal end portion 76. The distal end portion defines an external surface. The external surface of the indent tool 70 defines a profiled end surface 78. The profiled end surface 78 matches against an interior surface 80 of the distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14, which in one form is spherical. The indent tool 70 comprises a central protrusion 82 that extends distally from the profiled end surface 78. The central protrusion 82 has a smaller diameter than the profiled end surface. The central protrusion extends into the internal passageway 52 of the conductor tube 14 to assist a user in positioning the indent tool 70 in proper alignment with the spherical tapered seat 50 of the conductor tube 14. The central protrusion 82 may also utilize the channel guide 56 to assist with aligning the tool 70 within the spherical tapered seat 50. Once the indent tool 70 is in place and properly aligned within the conductor tube 40, a user imparts a force or strike to the proximal end portion 74 with a hammer or other tool (not shown). Since the conductor tube 14 is typically made from a rather malleable metal, such as a copper alloy, the user is able to repair minor wear and tear deformities in the distal end and the spherical tapered seat 66 by applying an impact force to the proximal end portion 188 of the indent tool 184.

In addition, the distal end portion 76 may further define additional features that may allow for aligning and controlling the depth of the tool into the spherical tapered seat. For example, the indent tool can further include a shoulder 84 that defines a flange 86. The flange may provide a stop surface against a distal end face 88 of the conductor tube 14. As best seen in FIG. 6, the distal end portion 76 further defines a spaced distance 87 between the profiled end surface 78 and the flange 86. Therefore, the profiled end surface in an unrepair configuration is in contact with the interior surface 80 and the flange 86 is the spaced distance 87 from the distal end face 88 of the conductor tube 14. After the imparted force the indent tool 70 is driven proximally into the interior surface 80 reshaping the spherical tapered seat 50 by the profiled end surface 78. The distance between the flange 86 and the distal end face 88 decreases to define a repaired configuration. The flange 86 of the tool 70 therefore defines a maximum strike distance the tool 70 can be driven into the interior surface 80 of the conductor tube 14 when the flange 86 abuts the distal end face 88. It is appreciated that the tool may incorporate numerous features to assist the user with maintaining the alignment to reshape the spherical tapered seat 50.

Referring to FIG. 8, in another form, an indent tool 170 comprises a body 172 having a proximal end portion 174 and a distal end portion 176. In this form, the indent tool 170 includes a threaded collar 190 that is secured around the proximal end portion 174 of the body 172. The threaded collar 190 is adapted to engage with the external threads 204 of the sleeve 60 on the conductor tube assembly 14. As discussed in the form above, the indent tool 170 includes a profiled end surface 178 extending around the distal end portion 176 of the body 196. The profiled end surface 178 matches the interior surface 80 of the distal end portion 26 of the conductor tube 14. The indent tool 170 also includes a central protrusion 182 that extends distally from the profiled end surface 178. In operation, the central protrusion 182 extends into the internal passageway 52 as already discussed above. The user tightens the threaded collar 190 onto the external threads 204 of the sleeve 60, and the tightening force imparts a force that can reshape and repair the spherical tapered seat 50 in the malleable metal of the conductor tube 42. The threaded collar 190 may be of various shapes including hexagonal to allow for user to torque with a wrench or other torque or driving tool. It is appreciated that various outside shapes and textures to the thread collar may be used to provide the needed grip or to further allow for the intent tool to be engaged with a wretch to increase the force.

Referring to FIG. 9 the steps of a method 300 for repairing an interior surface 80 and the spherical tapered seat 50 of a conductor tube 14. A first step 302 is providing a tool 70 with a body 72 that defines a proximal end portion 76 and a distal end portion having a profiled end surface. A second step 304, the user aligns the central protrusion to extent into the internal passageway. Optionally, the central protrusion may engage with the channel guide 56 to assist a user in maintaining proper alignment between the tool and the conductor tube. A third step 306, the users positions the profiled end surface within the tapered spherical seat 50. A fourth step 308, the method imparts a force on the proximal end portion of the tool. The imparted force drives the tool into the spherical tapered seat. The fifth step 310, the tool reshapes the tapered spherical seat 50 of the conductor tube 14 to conform around the profiled end surface 78. The impact and reshaping allows for repairing minor damage to the malleable material of the conductor tube 14. The imparted load may be in the form of an impact on the proximal end portion 74 or in another form the imparted force may be from a torque as the threaded collar 202 is turned into engagement with the threads 204 of the sleeve 60.

The present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the spirit of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope contemplated in the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A tool for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube for an arc welding apparatus comprising: an elongated body having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion; a profiled end surface extending defined by the distal end portion of the elongated body; a central protrusion extending distally from the profiled end surface; and wherein the profiled end surface is structured to mate within the interior surface of the conductor tube to reshape the interior surface when a force is applied to the body.
 2. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the proximal end portion defines a larger diameter.
 3. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the distal end portion further defines a shoulder and a flange, and wherein the profiled end surface extends distally from the flange.
 4. The tool according to claim 3, wherein the shoulder and flange are located proximally to the profiled end surface.
 5. The tool according to claim 3, wherein the flange abuts the distal end face after the imparted force and further defines a maximum strike distance the tool can be driven into the interior surface of the conductor tube.
 6. The tool according to claim 3, wherein the distal end portion further defines a spaced distance between the profiled end surface and the flange.
 7. The tool according to claim 6, wherein an unrepaired configuration further defines when the profiled end surface is in contact with the interior surface and the flange is the spaced distance from the distal end face of the conductor tube.
 8. The tool according to claim 6, wherein a repaired configuration further defines when the profiled end surface is in contact with the interior surface and the flange is less than the spaced distance from the distal end face of the conductor tube.
 9. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the interior surface includes a tapered spherical seat.
 10. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool is made from one selected from a metal or a metal alloy that has a hardness greater than a copper alloy.
 11. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the central protrusion has a smaller diameter than the profiled end surface.
 12. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the distal end portion has an exterior surface defining a profiled end surface.
 13. A tool for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube of an arc welding apparatus comprising: a body having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion; a threaded collar secured around the proximal end portion of the body, the threaded collar adapted to engage external threads of the conductor tube; a profiled end surface extending around the distal end portion of the body; a central protrusion extending distally from the profiled end surface; and wherein the profiled end surface mates into an interior surface of a distal end portion of the conductor tube.
 14. The tool according to claim 13, wherein the interior surface includes a tapered spherical seat.
 15. The tool according to claim 13, wherein the threaded collar is hexagonal.
 16. The tool according to claim 13, wherein the tool is made from one selected from a metal or a metal alloy that has a hardness greater than a copper alloy.
 17. A method for repairing an interior surface of a conductor tube, the conductor tube includes a tapered spherical seat and an internal passageway, the steps of the method comprising: providing a tool having an elongate body having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion defining a profiled end surface around the distal end portion for mating into the tapered spherical seat and a central protrusion extending distally from the profiled surface; aligning the central protrusion to extend into the internal passageway; mating the profiled end surface with the tapered spherical seat of the conductor tube and the central protrusion in the internal passageway; imparting an force on the proximal end portion of the tool; and reshaping the tapered spherical seat of the conductor tube to conform around the profiled end surface from the force causing the interior surface of the conductor tube to repair the tapered spherical seat.
 18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of imparting a force is further defined as tightening a threaded collar over a threaded portion of the conductor tube.
 19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of imparting a force is further defined as striking the proximal end portion. 